Amal Clooney Shoves Egypt to Release al-Jazeera Journo

Mohamed Fahmy is among 2 journalists still imprisoned

By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 8, 2015 10:21 AM CST

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Amal Clooney Shoves Egypt to Release al-Jazeera Journo — Amal Clooney, a member of a legal team representing Armenia, at the European Court of Human rights in Strasbourg, France, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz)

Mohamed Fahmy just got a legal A-lister in his corner: Amal Clooney has written Egyptian president Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi urging "the immediate release of my client," one of three al-Jazeera journalists stuffed in Egyptian prison in 2013 on charges of assisting the Muslim Brotherhood many regarded as trumped up. "Since this has not yet occurred, however, I now write to request a meeting with you," she writes in a letter obtained by CTV News. Fahmy was a dual citizen of Egypt and Canada who recently gave up the former in hopes of expediting his freedom. Clooney notes the recent release of co-defendant Peter Greste, and writes that his release should be forthcoming "given that Mr Fahmy has been the victim of the same injustice as Mr Greste." CTV reports separately that a retrial date has been set for Thursday. (Read more Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi stories.)